When is rape not rape?

Apparently when you've fantasised on the Internet about group sex. You are visited by a man - who you have agreed to have sex with - who brings along 4 friends - who then all proceed to have sex with you - without your consent. But that is not rape because you fantasised about something similar. This case - which never got as far as a trial because at the last minute the prosecution barrister decided to offer no evidence when he had been told about the victim's online fantasy. This case has been widely reported - certainly on blogs - and is the subject of a blog post on www.thefword.org.uk on 13 January 2010.

I can understand that the fact someone had fantasised about group sex might make them a less credible witness from a legal perspective; but if you're going to take into account the victim's publicly stated fantasies then surely the accused's fantasies ought to be taken into account and the sort of pornographic web sites they've looked at prior to the offence. Just because you've done something before and like the idea of it doesn't mean it's all right for someone to force the same thing on you without your consent in the future.

I did find some of the comments on the F Word blog post offensive as well as they were saying men should not be able to express a point of view on the site. Why not? If equal rights are ever to achieve their aims there has to be open debate about all the issues by everyone. To dismiss all men as trolls does not further anyone's cause.